Christie’s recently announced the sale of Lyons Demesne: Works of Art from the Collection of the late Dr Tony Ryan (1936-2007), co-founder of Ryanair from Lyons Demesne, County Kildare, Ireland. The sale will take place on 14 July.

Comprising a relatively small selection of works from the collection, this auction will provide collectors and institutions around the world with a rare glimpse into the private Irish treasure trove assembled by Dr Tony Ryan, a connoisseur who was one of Ireland’s biggest philanthropists, supporters of the arts and the renowned businessman who co-founded Ryanair.

Featuring over 400 lots of European Fine and Decorative Arts spanning the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, highlights include an important full length portrait in pastel of Arthur Hill, 2nd Marquess of Downshire (1753-1801) by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, R.H.A., 1736-1801; a pair of George III giltwood and painted satinwood console tables in the manner of Thomas Chippendale the Younger; a Louis XV Gobelins tapestry, by Claude Audran and a white marble sculpture of Love Awakened by Giovanni Battista Lombardi, Rome, circa 1870.

Orlando Rock, Deputy Chairman, Christie’s Europe commented: “It is a privilege to be offering a small selection of works from the superb Irish collection of Dr Tony Ryan. Dr Ryan’s nurturing vision and commitment to restoring and regenerating Lyons Demesne and its surrounding estate and village is an inspiration to us all.”

Dr Ryan was born in Thurles, County Tipperary, in 1936. With transport ‘in the family blood’, Dr. Ryan’s professional enterprises included founding Guinness Peat Aviation in 1975 and co-founding Ryanair in 1986. As air travel continues to evolve, Dr Ryan’s abiding cultural legacy at Lyons Demesne will live on as an integral part of Ireland’s heritage in the architectural treasure that he so lovingly restored. Lyons was commissioned by Nicholas Lawless, 1st Lord Cloncurry from the architect Oliver Grace in 1797, with subsequent remodelling just a few years later by Richard Morrison for Valentine Lawless, 2nd Lord Cloncurry; as part of the remodelling the principal rooms were adorned with beautiful murals by the Italian landscape artist Gaspare Gabrielli, who had married Cloncurry’s maid. Lyons was owned by the Lawless family until the mid-20th century. It was then acquired by the University College Dublin for whom it served as an agricultural research facility, until purchased by Dr Ryan in 1996. The restoration – ‘the largest, most ambitious and exhaustive programme of restoration ever undertaken in a private capacity in the history of the Irish State’ – received the Europa Nostra and Institut International des Châteaux Historiques joint award for refurbishment in 2001. Dr Ryan’s passion for racing and thoroughbred horses led to the creation of the great stud at Lyons. His vision and celebration of skilled craftsmanship is reflected in the quality of the works to be offered from the collection, which are set to embark on the next chapter in their history when they sell at Christie’s London in July.

Amongst the highlights in the sale is a portrait by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, R.H.A., 1736-1801, the most distinguished pastellist from the Dublin Society Schools and a successful portraitist in Dublin, London and Rome, who brought the popularity of full length portraits in pastel to a new height. Arthur Hill, 2nd Marquess of Downshire (1753-1801) dates to 1785-90 and is one of the finest examples of the artist’s work on this large scale. The sitter was a Privy Councillor of England and Ireland, whose seat was Hillsborough Castle, County Down.

Further Highlights are Paintings, Drawings and Prints. The wide array of superb furniture includes several Irish pieces such as an Irish George IV mahogany games table attributed to Steward of Dublin and a pair of Irish George III oval glass mirrors. Mirroring the taste of the great Gabrielli Room at Lyons is a pair of George III giltwood console tables in the manner of Thomas Chippendale the Younger.

Tapestries are led by a sumptuous Louis XV Gobelins tapestry by Claude Audran, depicting Sancho’s feast from Don Quixote. Further examples include a traditional mid-18th century Lille pastoral tapestry in silk and wool of Peasants Dancing by Katherine Werniers, after David Teniers the younger and of aeronautical interest, a charming pair of French machine-woven tapestry of Bleriot’s trans-Channel flight.

The collection includes a charming group of sculpture from the 19th century, highlights of which include a white marble sculpture of La Revelacion de Amor (Love Awakened) by Giovanni Battista Lombardi, Rome, circa 1870. The Spanish title of this subject reflects that Lombardi’s work was well received beyond Italy. A bronze and marble bust of Selika, an African slave from the opera L’Africane, is by Pietro Calvi. Born in Milan, Calvi was a late 19th century sculptor of international standing who, in addition to working on the decoration of Milan cathedral like many of his contemporaries, also exhibited widely outside of Italy.